But does it just train to think inside the box, maybe considering but not shooting alternatives or responding intuitively, unconsciously to a scene or scenario?
This is intriguing. I'm sure, as a teacher, you could see the value of instructing young photographers to try to expose once. It would implement a more conscious and sturdy approach. This is all I mean to get at when I say I prefer one exposure. It just trains the muscle in a whole new way.
This is intriguing. I'm sure, as a teacher, you could see the value of instructing young photographers to try to expose once. It would implement a more conscious and sturdy approach. This is all I mean to get at when I say I prefer one exposure. It just trains the muscle in a whole new way.
But does it just train to think inside the box, maybe considering but not shooting alternatives or responding intuitively, unconsciously to a scene or scenario?
Real good question, Pieter12. One to which I don't have an answer.But does it just train to think inside the box, maybe considering but not shooting alternatives or responding intuitively, unconsciously to a scene or scenario?
A really good answer, cliveh. When I was a commercial photographer in Los Angeles, working for Max Factor Cosmetics, IBM, and Catalina Swimwear, this is exactly how it was done. I can tell you have been there, too.I don't think there is any correct answer to this question, as it depends on what you are photographing. A landscape maybe one shot when the light is right. Movement that is unfolding may take several until you feel you have the best image. An advertising table top shot may take hours to prepare and compose and then record in two or three shots. It all depends on the subject, photographer and their personal technique.
A good teacher would have the student try and apply both in depth, then either let him choose which suits him best or encourage him to find a third alternative that suits him even better.
I am always amazed that some can stop when they seem to know they have the shot they want. Not that I haven't been guilty of the same. But, given the opportunity why not experiment or see if other expressions or angles, unexpected juxtapositions, or anything serendipitous might lead to a shot that was not in one's mind beforehand? Is it better to walk away knowing the shot is in the bag but not knowing if a better one was missed? For me, shaking things up occasionally revitalizes my work, even if I might come back to what I hd been doing all along.
I call that my “Drew Wiley” moment”
I have a lot of similar regrets. Probably everyone who commented in this thread has. The reasons can range from "don't have a camera" to "too much trouble" - but those reasons only serve to further irritate you after the fact....My regrets are never aboot taking several exposures but more when looking at a scene and walking away having taken none… for whatever reason.
Editing is as much a part of photography as is exposure determination, composition, cropping, printing, and presentation. So there’s not much to fear about taking “one too many” images.
My regrets are never aboot taking several exposures but more when looking at a scene and walking away having taken none… for whatever reason.
When shooting landscapes in fast-changing light like before sunset, it often pays to wait around after the first shot. You can often get even better lighting. Often, just when you think the light is the best, it isn't. Wait longer and get subsequent shots. Also, bracketing then is often helpful to get the right exposure because it's harder to determine the "correct" one during these times.
I often have difficulty finishing a 36-exp roll.
I bulk roll and like roughly 20 shots per roll. It feels endless when I have a 36-exposure roll. I end up having the film in the camera so long, I forget what film it was.
I'm in your category 1. I don't really know how many shots per roll I like in the end - it depends what I'm taking pictures of. I run out of steam making prints and also don't know what I'm supposed to do with hundreds of 8x10s, anyway....
Have you given any thought to the possibility that if you made more shots, you might have more"keepers"?It would be entertaining to know the proportion of keepers (by ones own standards) among photographers who say (1) 'stop when you think you've done your best', versus (2) 'keep on shooting to increase your chances'. I'd hazard a guess there's not much difference.
Personally, I have few opportunities to take the kind of photos I like, so I often have difficulty finishing a 36-exp roll. There's one in the camera now that has been there for 3 months. FWIW, in the hope of provoking others to join in, I get approximately 1 photo I like ('keeper') per 35mm roll (average over 230 rolls in 40 years), and I'm in category (1) above.
(PS - I should really count the number of frames, because I'm impatient and often develop an unfinished film.)
I bulk roll and like roughly 20 shots per roll. It feels endless when I have a 36-exposure roll. I end up having the film in the camera so long, I forget what film it was.
I'm in your category 1. I don't really know how many shots per roll I like in the end - it depends what I'm taking pictures of. I run out of steam making prints and also don't know what I'm supposed to do with hundreds of 8x10s, anyway....
(PS - I should really count the number of frames, because I'm impatient and often develop an unfinished film.)
But does it just train to think inside the box, maybe considering but not shooting alternatives or responding intuitively, unconsciously to a scene or scenario?
I don't make prints of every frame, maybe 2-3 out of a 12-frame roll, maybe none. If a print doesn't fit in with a body of work or project, it goes in a maybe/miscellaneous box. And if I don't know what to do with prints, sometimes I'll keep them to cut up for collage. Otherwise, the trash can.
Yeah, but what about the prints that fit in with a project or your miscellaneous box? Is there something that makes them so much more purposeful than the ones that end up in the trash can? So you have a project that generates a stack of prints, Where do they go if not just another box?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?